Eat Mor Chikin

I didn’t know much about “Chick-Fil-A” restaurants before I moved to Virginia. When I was a kid, I thought the name was pronounced like “Chick-FILL-uh,” instead of being a pun on “Chick fillet.” As I recall from my youth, all the Chick-Fil-A restaurants were in malls.
However, since moving last summer to the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, Chick-Fil-A has quickly become a family favorite.
The first time we went into one, we were house hunting. (For anyone who is curious, it was the Victory Boulevard location.)
Izzy was then less than a year old and was sleeping in the back of the car. So we didn't have to disturb her, I went in and brought food out. I think we both had the deluxe chicken sandwiches.
I remember being completely blown away at the flavor of the chicken. It wasn’t as greasy as the famous brand of chicken from the Bluegrass State, and I liked the flavor better. Hallie felt the same way.
Once we completed our move, we went back to the same location at lunchtime one day, and had another great experience. By dining in, we experienced something Chick-Fil-A has that other fast-food chains don’t, namely customer service.
When we sat down, an employee came over and fussed over Izzy, who was awake this time, and gave us a little sticky plastic table mat to put in from of her while she ate. This same person also came to our table and refilled our drinks. Being used to ordering and getting everything for myself at the other fast food chains, I was confused at first, but then very happy to have some friendly table service.
Izzy didn't like the giant cow that was walking around playing with kids, but that was a small price to pay. (A few weeks ago, she saw the cow again, and reached out for him/her screaming, "Moooooooooo! Mooooo!")
We have found every Chick-Fill-A to have that kind of personal, caring service from friendly employees. And, more importantly, the food is always perfect. One thing Chick-Fil-A has that others do not: Waffle fries. Hallie, who tends to be lukewarm on fries, has loved the waffle fries from our first visit.
Everything I have ever ordered at a Chick-Fill-A has been fresh and hot. Sometimes, it’s so fresh and hot that I burn my mouth on the chicken or the waffle fries. I don’t mind, though, after going to various other fast food places and getting old fries or cold fries (there is a difference). They also toast the buns on their sandwiches, which, to my taste anyway, adds a little bit of pleasant texture to make the eating all the more enjoyable.
Late in the evening one December, at the back end of a long return trip from Ohio, we stopped at the Chick-Fil-A in Williamsburg, and for the first time I tried their chicken nuggets. This is the most wonderful of all fast food chicken products. McDonald’s nuggets taste like deep-fried home insulation by comparison. They are perfectly shaped and spiced, and composed of (another surprise for fast food) recognizable chicken meat. The chick strips are variations of the same and are equally as good.
In fact, every time I go into a Chick-Fil-A, I am further impressed.
This is in drastic contrast to my attitude toward McDonald’s. To my taste, McDonald’s quality has dropped since they started assembling their food out of little (I assume heated) drawers. Their service tends to be spotty -- some are very good, some are bad. Some are good at certain times.
By contrast, at every Chick-Fil-A to which I have been, the service has been outstanding. Every time the food has been tasty, hot and well-prepared.
Here’s what I don’t get: Chick-Fil-A makes a profit and keeps opening new locations, and they do at least two things that should hurt them compared to their competitors.
First, they aren’t open on Sundays. Their founder felt the employees should have the time to rest and go to church if they wanted. All their competitors are open seven days a week.
Further, they must employ extra people (maybe they don’t, but it seems like they’d have to) to perform the customer service functions like going table to table and refilling people’s drinks, or giving out little plastic placemats for kids.
Being closed on Sundays should mean they take in less money than a comparable fast food chain, and having extra employees should raise their costs.
I guess when you have a superior product and superior service, you can keep from cutting corners and run the business the way it should be run.
And, for that reason, I will continue to eat at Chick-Fil-A regularly.